In making some lists on 2015 Cape League alumni to watch this college season, I was struck by some of the standout performances of last summer. The season goes so fast and ends so abruptly that it’s easy to lose track of the season that was. And postseason top prospect lists tend to focus on the talent level, not on what the players, fans and organizations experience on the Cape’s sandy shores.
For a brief trip down memory lane, start with Andrew Calica. The Wareham outfielder didn’t qualify for the batting title until late in the season, but when he did, history was made. Calica hit .425, becoming the first Cape Leaguer to hit the .400 mark since 1990. Several had come close over the years, but no one finished it off until Calica.
Bobby Dalbec hit four home runs in the first week of the season for Orleans, left for Team USA, came back in July and hit eight more home runs, plus two in the playoffs. Dalbec hit a home run every 8.2 at-bats. And in a two-year career with Orleans, the Arizona slugger hit 19 home runs in 62 games. From that perspective, he’s a Cape League all-timer.
On the mound, Mitchell Jordan finished with a 0.21 ERA for Orleans, matching Eric Milton’s 1996 Cape League record. He allowed two earned runs the entire season. And Y-D’s Ben Bowden had a remarkable run for the Red Sox after his July arrival. In 17.1 regular season innings out of the bullpen, he didn’t allow a single run. The first time anyone scored off him was in game three of the Cape League championship series – and it didn’t much matter. The Red Sox won 8-1 and Bowden finished it off.
There were plenty more great moments, of course, but those performances really stick out. It was a fun year.
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